Seems to me orchestras I see on youTube are afflicted by numerous microphones much as society is afflicted with the virus--they are everywhere. So there's all this mixing which means some of the subtlety of the sound gets lost. There's a reason the old 2 and 3 mic recordings with the right mics have beautiful string sound. They are capturing the sound in space where the close miking expects a speaker to fill space like live music, but a speaker is directional and can't do that.
the sound of massed violins in classical orchestral recordings
why do massed violins have this sort of gritty sandpapery reverberation in classical orchestral recordings?even in some sections of a piece, when the violins are playing softly in the background, you hear that gritty overtone more than the melody.when I listen to the Houston symphony in Jones Hall,sitting fourth row, facing the violin section, I don't hear that sound.I have three systems { two of them mid-fi ] and I hear the same thing-even with headphones.in all instances, the other parts of the orchestra are clear. my main system : Vanalistine Trancendence 10 tube preamp,a 35 year old solid state Proton D1200 amp, [have tried NAD,Project, Musical Fidelity amps--they don't sound any better],Onkyo dx7555 CD player [Stereophile class B],and Project Carbon turntable with Grado Black 2 cartridge [ the Ortophon Red was too bright ] through Magnepan MG12/QR speakers.Tried a highly regarded Elac speaker--no change as far as the violins go, but way inferior to those dramatic Maggies.So, there you have it. Is it the equipment? Is the state of the art not up to recording violins? Is it me? [its o.k.-I can take it}. In closing,a couple of years ago,I had phone conversation with a well known person associated with a major speaker company about this. His response :[ paraphrased ] Violins are a problem--don't like 'em. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks.
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This is really an excellent thread that seems to get the best from the forum. Thanks! My journey to get strings sound like you experience them live: (1) Add power conditioner (Shunyata Hydra alpha). Moderate effect. (2) Eliminate all 'polluting' clients with switching power supplies (apple airport, logitech remote). Obvious effect. (3) Add DualCore room correction with linear power supply. Pronounced effect. Replace B&W803D with Helsinki Gradients (i.e., dipoles with cardioid radiation pattern). Dramatic effect. Seems that room interaction was, at least in my situation, dominant parameter. For reference, the amp in this system is a LSA Statement integrated, all ICs are Kimber Hero balanced, power cables are Kimber, speaker cables are DNM incl. DNM RF/EMI filters. Good recordings are, as stated many times, a must. For a close mic'd solo violin, Anne Sophie Mutter, Carmen Fantasy (Sarasate) - Introduction, is a great piece. For mass string, again, Anne Sophie Mutter, Violin Concerto No 1, B flat minor (hi rez MQA file on TIDAL), seems a very good recording. I am happy now... |
Thanks to terraplane8bob for clarifying even further what other posts have been developing: it's in the recording. I'm sure there are components that exacerbate the problem and,hopefully, others that might ameliorate it. We probably have diifferent goals for what we want to hear in our listening rooms. For me, if I don't hear something in the concert hall,I don't want to hear it coming out of my speakers--or less of it.Today,I revisited an old "frenemy": EMI Classics CD. von Karajan,Berlin Phil.,. Schubert Symphonies 8 and 9. ART,Abbey Road Technology."Remastered to 20 bit for optimum sound sound quality."Exciting,dynamic,moving performances.Awful, shattering,cacophonous strings.Sad. In a few days i'm going to be auditioning a used pair of Mozart Grand Symphony speakers [ what's not to love about a speaker with a name like that ]. If they can tame the Schubert just the slightest bit, the ever exciting Maggies may be put up for adoption. To be continued.......... |
thanks for that, terraplane8bob, was a great read : ) |
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